Victoria sent a runner to inform Paris Wolfman that Dire Wolves had taken the bait and that a full scale battle was now taking place between them and the Bloody Daggers.

“Looks like it’s time Major, take the bulk of your men and see what you can do while the savages are having fun,” ordered Paris.

Major Samuel grinned wolfishly and left with a bounce in his step. Paris watched as Sam led his people through the barricades now reinforced with ten badger folk sappers. Those badgers had been worth their weight in gold, better than dwarves anyday.

The Major took his first target, the Sea Beasts by complete surprise and was able to free their slaves and kill or capture the majority if not all of them, the Harvesters were not taken by surprise but in their hunger weakened state were just as easy to eradicate. And eradicate is what happened when his men saw what was in the kitchens. Needless to say there were no slaves left to save.

Sam reorganised his people and sent out his scouts. The Backstreet Killers were intent on the fight so he formed up his people, checked they had water and food and moved to take Vinculus’ backstreet butchers in the rear. It was a disgrace, streetwise thugs shouldn’t be this blind so he was cautious keeping alert for an ambush. Sam grinned, Mother had been right to have him concentrate on unit tactics, soldiers might not be as good as warriors individually but when acting as a unit they kept on winning.

Mother, yes it fit, Tomcat had started it but by now most of her ‘folk were calling her that!

Major Samuel had to extend his line and was only left with his sappers as a reserve, but he was confident that his badgers were solid. Damn but it was hard to keep the locals in his little army in check, they had serious grudges against the Killers. The actual fight was easy, but they broke and ran almost immediately.

Sam reformed his boys and led them in against the exhausted and bloodied Dire Wolves and Bloody Daggers. Discipline finally broke down as the locals in his little force realized just how close they were to eradicating the scourge that had blighted their lives for so long, he had to work hard to reform his ‘folk to keep the poor fools alive.

Major Sam reformed his people and marched them back in triumph escorting a pitiful few released slaves. He was really proud of his guys and gals though that wouldn’t stop him and his sergeants from yelling at and making miserable the lives of the ones who broke discipline.

“Mission accomplished Paris, all that’s left out there are scattered bands of thugs, Captain Derindus’ fives and Katrina’s special forces are the ones best suited to disposing of them. Just be careful when using our locals, their hate for the scum could easily endanger them.”

“So what next Sam?”

“Your call Paris but I’d clear out the remaining scum, they’re mostly the remnants of the Backstreet Butchers and you will probably need Victoria’s help to locate them. However it is now a political problem, you have to get this town up and running while I train my guys to be mounted infantry and recruit some cavalry so we can comply with Mother’s wishes and turn this island into the prosperous place it should be.”

“Yes.” Paris looked into the distance and smiled ruefully, “You know I was not sure we would manage this but Mother was right. Put Captain Katrina in touch with Victoria’s folk and order her out.”

“And Derindus?”

“Guess we have to use him, give him what information you have and set him loose.”

* * *

Trisha had given up trying to get Mary to attend the annual get together of the Dungeon Companions League, even pointing out that she could select another avatar didn’t help.

« What? Hey one of those giant squid folk would be cool, then I could explore the deeps. »

Not helpful.

« Trish, you go, you’re the one with the invite. Have fun you could always tell ‘em I’m plannin’ the takeover of Parthia. »

Trisha panicked, “You mustn’t tell anyone that!”

« Um, why, just a joke, it’d be way too much hassle. »

“Because they would probably believe you!” Trisha almost shouted.

« Well you know, I think we could... would take a looong time... Nope too much work an’ no time for play. »

So Trisha was guest of honour at the annual get together and met many people and was frankly bored to tears by the other guests apparent tunnel vision and focus on the minutea of their dungeons.

When she got back she summed up her experience in one sentence.

“By the gods it was boring, they’re so closed in, now I know why the other Godlike dungeons and many of the elites and their companions weren’t present.”

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

An exhausted Fallon stumbled into the Adventurer’s Guild Hall in Arsouk asking to see the Guildmaster. Fredar the clerk demanded to know why he needed the Guildmaster. A brief explanation soon had Fallon ensconced in Burritis’ office.

Once again Fallon explained what Halsin was attempting to do and of his attack on his party when they refused to go along with the plans to sack and enslave the dungeon. Burritis recognised the seriousness of the problem – after all even if it wasn’t much of a dungeon it was the only one he had. He made an urgent report to his superiors and did his best to scrape up a group of his members to go to the rescue of Guzz – his life gem was still glowing – and the dungeon.

Burritis led out the rescue party at dawn on the next day with a determined Fallon in the lead. Three hours after they left Arsouk they passed what appeared to be an exhausted man and his daughter riding two camels and leading two others.

Evening was falling when they met the settlement’s survivors and were attacked by the desperate thirsty men. The fight was short and vicious and might have ended differently if Zar Gutripper and his two surviving party members had elected to fight rather than grabbing their camels and fleeing.

When they arrived at the desolate settlement they were met by a limping Guzz who was full of tales of desperate fights and a heroic defence.

Sandrinna drafted Guzz as an interim ‘voice’ briefing him via Erekosë. It was not ideal but she did not trust the recently arrived rescue party sufficiently to risk her oldest and most faithful defender.

The agreement they reached satisfied Guildmaster Burritis and his adventurers it was less satisfactory to Sandrinna but she felt she could live with it. She supplied a well and agreed to restore her dungeon and the Guild guaranteed to run a small hostel for visiting adventurers and prevent any further mass invasions.

And so thanks to Guzz’s tall tales Sandrinna’s dungeon became the Last Stand Dungeon.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Mary wanted desperately to set some kind of spy on the fed, but she was cooking and didn’t want to raise suspicions or worry her friends. Then the fed girl Sandra came up to compliment her and to seek help with her cooking.

« update initiated – core activated – integration in process – soul link confirmed – alpha and beta links functional – core integrated – stage two update complete »

Mary froze for a moment as masses of information surged back and forth, she instructively shunted it into her new – memory module? Mind extension, amplifier, core whatever.

She smiled and almost on automatic described in detail her new marinade to a fascinated Sandra. Then she grinned in delight, a quick twist of her suddenly far more accessible and flexible manna coupled with a scrap of newly gained knowledge and a small spark shot into the phone Roy the snoop was using to surreptitiously film her guests. Now she had the fed bugged and, a second spark shot across and joined the first in the Smartphone’s guts. Now her little manna bug could replicate itself and it could spread to his contacts.

After her guests left she explored her new abilities, she seemed to have gained an idiotic fondness for spying and information gathering.

‘Huh, I already have five feds bugged, that’s kinda fast. Huh huh no way José, now Mr Hutchinson you’ll regret it if you follow through with that...’

Her pearl on the other hand was just a flaking shell around a big diamond, she fingered it regretfully as the remains of the outer covering crumbled away revealing the innumerable small facets of a huge diamond.

‘Gonna have to see that no one sees you my beauty, but I kinda liked you as a pearl.’

« Did you know Roy sees Sandra as a catgirl – she’s being integrated – and your soul requires a diamond as a core and the pearl has been rebuilt at the same time as your soul – beware the pixie »

“Beep you Bluey, what you up to now?”

* * *

Sandra was having a nightmare, she was changing, her ears were moving and changing she could hear her neighbours chatting quietly, her eyes were allowing her to see in the near dark. Her tail lashed in agitation and she seemed to hear Roy saying, “nice kitty, that’s my sexy cat.”

Then she woke and stretched – it felt so good as her tail stood high and she dug her steel claws into the headboard of her bed leaving her mark. She screamed, tail! Claws! Oh God her nightmare – it was real! She had furry legs!

* * *

Dr Jones went through the papers on his desk, he wasn’t sure about some of the theories that were hovering in the background of these notes and thesis but the girl was brilliant, and one of those affected by this condition. He walked over to his colleague Dr Sebenschu and waited patiently while the DNA specialist went through the papers. Josh looked stunned when he looked up.

“Can we recruit him?”

“Her, and no she’s not quite seventeen, and she’s one of the affected.”

“We should contact her.”